Reviewing one of Pennsylvania's best kept secrets.
Knoebels Amusement Park
   

 
Knoebels Review Home
Flying Turns Roller Coaster
Directions to Knoebels
A Stroll Around Knoebels
Scenic Skyway Sky Lift
The Flyer - Flying Scooters
Knoebels at Night!
Knoebels Park Videos!
Knoebels Kiddie Rides
Anthracite Museum of Mining
American Coaster Enthusiasts
Knoebels Contact Info
Knoebels Flood of 2006
 

Resurrecting a Classic Dark Rollercoaster!
Black Diamond at Knoebels
The Golden Nugget - Wildwood New Jersey
Formerly known as the Golden Nugget from Wildwood New Jersey!

 


Bald Eagles at Knoebels!
More about Bald Eagles

 
 
Knoebels Park Videos!

The Golden Nugget of Wildwood New Jersey to be re-built in Knoebels!

  

  

More PA Destinations

  DelGrosso's Amusement Park
  Kitchen Kettle Village
  Red Caboose Motel
  Strasburg Railroad
  Railroad Museum of PA
  West Chester Railroad
  Bird In Hand Village
  Peaceful Valley
  Amish Furniture
  Centralia PA
  PA Shopping
  Home Page
  Visiting Kneobles
 

  

  

Other locations of interest in this region:


Only a few miles up the road from Knoebels ... The
Centralia Mine Fire
Smoke rises out of the ground, the smell of sulfur is in the air, the ground collapses as homes are destroyed. Science fiction? Think again.
This is Centralia Pennsylvania, where a town was destroyed by a 44 year old mine fire. Read More

 

The Flyer - Flying Scooters at Knoebels
The Flyer

The Flyer, one of only a few remaining original Flying Scooters

 
 

The Flyer is one of a limited number of Flying Scooters still in operation today. 

The Flyer Flying Scooters is a unique vintage thrill ride that bridges nostalgia with modern day excitement.  Each flight of The Flyer is never the same as riders swing their vehicle from side to side, gaining altitude and dropping with each dizzying revolution of speeds up to 35 mph.  But the ride puts the rider in control so those that want a mild ride, can glide lightly, while those that have a thing for thrill can push the ride it the limit with great dipping and diving excitement!  There are not many rides where the rider is in control of the riding experience. 

The Flyer is not a new ride.  In fact it is a 1930s-era centrifugal force ride that was most popular back in the 1940s and 1950s.  Debuting in 1935, it was once found in more than 90 amusement parks around the country.  Today however the numbers have dwindled as approximately 70 of the original Flying Scooters were either removed or became inoperable over the years.  Flyer Addicts Anonymous, a flying scooter enthusiast website, keeps track of existing Flying Scooters still in operation and has counted over 20 parks in the United States with operational Flying Scooters ride.   The Flyer at Knoebels is a great example of one of these vintage rides still in great operational condition. 

Flying Scooters, sometimes known simply as "Flyers", are amusement park rides that consist of a gear driven center post with arms suspending vehicles outward from 2 or more cables.  During the operation of the ride, a motor turns the center post, spinning the arms and the vehicles suspended from the arms causing centrifugal forces that swing the ride vehicles outwards.  Each Flyer vehicle is equipped with a large hand operated rudder that allows the rider to control the motion of the vehicle.  Generally the Flying Scooters are considered a mild ride however a skilled rider can cause the forces to jerk the cables of the vehicle, known as a "snap". Snapping is caused by the cables of the ride going slacked due to a speed up and slow down of the vehicle through the use of the rudder.  This in turn amplifies the ride's excitement level as speeds exceed normal operation and the vehicle flies even higher.  At Knoebels, The Flyer sometimes clips the leaves of the trees as it flys high into the air.

Today the Flying Scooters are making a comeback.  In 2003 a company called Larson International bought the rights as well as a working Flying Scooters model from originator Bisch-Rocco Amusement Co. with the hope of re-producing the original Flying Scooter Rides.  Since 2003 Larson International has sold about a dozen have with new parks introducing scooters each year.

Some examples of existing Flying Scooters:

Flying Scooter - Conneaut Lake Park
The Flyer - Knoebels Amusement Park
Danny Phantom's Phantom Flyers - Carowinds
Air Crow - Indiana Beach
Eagle's Flight - Holiday World
Flying Aces - Lagoon Amusement Park
Plane Crazy - Oakwood Theme Park
Flying Aces - Idlewild Park
Mission Macaw - Zoombezi Bay
Flying Fish - Story Land
Frontier Flyers - Hersheypark
Rowdy Roosters - Canobie Lake Park
 

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More PA Destinations
  
  DelGrosso's Amusement Park
  Kitchen Kettle Village
  Red Caboose Motel
  Strasburg Railroad
  Railroad Museum of PA
  West Chester Railroad
  Bird In Hand Village
  Peaceful Valley
  Amish Furniture
  Centralia PA
  Knowbels Grove
Knoebels at Night!
Black Diamond at Knoebels
Directions to Knoebels
Anthracite Museum of Mining
American Coaster Enthusiasts
Twister Rollercoaster
Flying Turns Roller Coaster
Knoebels Contact Info
Knoebels Flood of 2006
Kneobles Amusement Park
 
Note: We are not affiliated with Knoebels Amusement Park.  We are life-long, multi-generation fans of the Knoebels Grove and continue to follow what is happening at the park and visit year after year.  To contact Knoebels Grove directly, please visit their website or call them at 1-800-487-4386.
     
     
     

 

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